


Aftermath

by thegrrrl2002



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-01
Updated: 2011-06-01
Packaged: 2017-10-20 00:25:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/206842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrrrl2002/pseuds/thegrrrl2002
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the <a href="http://sheafrotherdon.livejournal.com/626407.html">Steve Hugs Danny Fest</a>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Aftermath

When Steve gets back to Danny's apartment, Danny is standing in the kitchen in track pants and a tee-shirt, wet hair slicked back. He's swaying, unsteady on his feet as he holds a non-stick gauze pad in one hand and a roll of bandage tape in the other.

"So how the hell am I supposed to do this?" Danny asks, voice high-pitched and querulous. "If I had five more hands, maybe. Being I only have two of them, it's just not going to work."

Steve drops the bags onto the counter. "Let me get that for you."

"Please do." Danny leans against the counter.

Steve takes the tape and gauze from Danny's hands and Danny holds out his wrist for Steve to bandage. The wound has started to bleed again and Steve still can't get the image out of his mind--Danny crumbled in the corner of the room, wrists and ankles bound and he was lying so still that for just a brief second Steve had thought that was it. That it was all over.

He can still feel the hollowness in his chest.

"Ow. That looks painful," Steve says. It's a pretty stupid thing to say but he's still trying to remember how to breathe.

"Yes, thank you, it is painful. But the bruised ribs and a wrenched shoulder provide a good distraction." Danny's hand starts to tremble. "It's a whole new world of discomfort."

"Did you take the pills the doctor gave you?" Steve unwraps the pad and places it gently against the wound.

"Yes, Steven," Danny snaps. "I took the pills the doctor gave me."

"I'm just making sure. Otherwise your shoulder is going to stiffen up and if you think it hurts now--"

"Do not lecture me," Danny says, trying to tug his hand free.

"All right, all right, no lectures." With great effort, Steve keeps his voice low and steady. "Just hold this pad in place while I wrap it."

As he winds the gauze around Danny's wrist, Steve steals a glance at Danny's face. The bruise on his forehead stands out stark against pale skin, his expression pinched and tight. Everything about his posture screams exhaustion--his slumped shoulders, the tired lines around his eyes, his head bowing forward. As Steve finishes with the gauze, he says, "Okay, hold this now, right here, so I can tape it."

Danny nods, a finger keeping the gauze in place as Steve reaches for the bandage tape. "I got you take-out from the Italian place," he tells Danny. "The pasta that you like. Plus a sandwich, and some other stuff. I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for."

"Yeah," Danny says absently. "Maybe later."

"Danny," Steve says as he tapes the gauze in place. "You haven't really eaten anything in what, two days?"

"I'm just not in the mood for it, all right?" Danny's wrist jerks again as he tries to gesticulate. "I'll eat when I'm hungry."

"Hold your hand still, for god's sake." Steve grabs Danny's forearm and holds it steady. "You shouldn't be taking those pills on an empty stomach."

"Oh, would you--you tell me to take the pills, and now you're telling me I shouldn't take them? Bite me."

Steve tapes the gauze in place. "I'm just saying, you might feel better if you eat."

He doesn't know how to fix this, doesn't know what to do, or what to say. Grabbing hold of Danny and hugging him doesn't seem to be an option at the moment. Not with Danny like this, all prickly and full of anger.

"I'll eat," Danny says, yanking his hand away as soon as Steve finishes. "when I'm damn ready to eat. What are you, my mother?"

The thing is, Steve's had a rough couple of days, too. "You want me to call your mother?" he asks. "Because I will, Danny, I will call her and tell her you're--"

"No, no, no, you are not calling my mother." Danny pokes Steve in the chest with a finger, just like on that first day.

Steve catches a glimpse of Danny's phone on the counter next to his keys and wallet. "I know she's in your phone," he says, reaching out for it.

"Get the fuck away from my phone." Danny grabs Steve's arm, slipping in between him and the counter. "Steven, I swear, you are such an asshole--"

Steve steps back. "Oh, I'm the asshole?" Which he is, of course. Because it took him so god damn long to find Danny. Two entire days. An eternity.

"Yes, you. Would you just," Danny tugs on Steve's arm, drawing him in. "Come here, you are so difficult, I swear to god, you--" The rest of his words are lost as he presses his face against Steve's chest.

And Steve feels stupid all over again. He circles his arms around Danny, taking care not to squeeze Danny's bad shoulder. "Sorry," he says against Danny's damp hair. He takes a deep breath, breathing in the familiar scent of Danny's shampoo. "I didn't know, I wasn't sure if, I don't know what you need."

He's surprised when Danny snorts with laughter against his shirt. "God, you're bad at this."

Steve nods in acknowledgment. Chasing down the bad guys, he can do that. This, with Danny, this is new territory but there's a softness now in the way Danny is gazing up at him so Steve gently presses his lips to Danny's bruised forehead, to Danny's rough, unshaven cheek before brushing his lips against Danny's mouth. The kiss is soft and achingly sweet and Danny sighs into it, hooking an arm around Steve's neck and swaying against him.

"Thank you. Was that so hard?" Danny rubs his nose against Steve's chin.

"It was a little scary, actually," Steve says. He's rewarded by Danny's laughter.

"I'll give you scary," Danny says.

"You already did." Steve kisses Danny again. "Come on, you should get in bed before you fall down."

"Now you're talking," Danny says with a grin that's just this side of goofy. The pain meds must be kicking in, although Steve's feeling a bit goofy himself at this point.

He guides Danny toward the open sofa bed and Danny winces in pain as he settles onto it, one arm wrapped protectively around his ribs. But when Steve tries to step back, Danny pointedly tugs Steve back in and Steve ends up on the bed with him, both of them sitting back against the couch cushions.

"So hey, I was thinking," Steve says as Danny tucks in against his chest. "Maybe you should not ever get kidnapped again, okay?" He rubs Danny's back.

"All right. If you insist. No more getting kidnapped. Not ever." Danny slips a hand under Steve's shirt, palm resting warm and heavy on Steve's stomach. "I really didn't like it very much, anyways."

"Me neither." Steve wraps both arms around Danny. "I had to ride with Kono for two days and she kept complaining me I was driving too slow."

Danny lifts his head. "I worry about that woman."

Steve grins, then ducks his head to kiss Danny and it's finally sinking in, that Danny is here with him, that they made it through this one. He holds Danny tighter and god, he thought he'd never get to do any of this again.

"Hey, hey," Danny murmurs against Steve's mouth. "Did you forget to keep a positive outlook during all this? What did I tell you about that?"

"I guess I forgot," Steve whispers.

Danny sighs. "I'm going to have to start all over again with you, aren't I?"

Steve nods solemnly, then pulls Danny in for another kiss.

Danny stiffens. "Ow--shoulder?"

Immediately Steve loosens his grip. "Sorry, sorry."

"You're such a brute." Danny's smiling again, eyes half-closed and sleepy. Then his expression goes thoughtful. "Hey, is there anything to eat in this place? I'm starving."

"I think I might be able to dig up something," Steve says.

He untangles himself with difficulty from Danny's warm, pliant body and climbs out of bed. As he unpacks the bags of food--okay, so maybe he bought enough for an army, but he wasn't sure what Danny wanted--he catches Danny watching him, his eyes warm and full of affection. It's a whole hell of a lot better than the weary, pained expression Danny was wearing when Steve had first gotten there and the last bit of tightness fades from his chest.

"Yo, did I mention I was starving?" Danny calls out. "What's with the woolgathering? I swear, you just can't get good help these days."

Steve laughs and begins piling a plate high with food.


End file.
